Dana Brown Movies
Documentary filmmaker Dana Brown, who created a visually striking look at the world of surfing in 2003's Step Into Liquid, hits dry land running in this portrait of the world of off-road racing. The Baja 1000 is one of the world's premier desert racing events; taking place both on and off the roads in and around Baja California, the annual road rally pits drivers against punishing conditions as they attempt to cover the thousand-mile course in 36 hours or less. With a wide variety of different vehicles competing -- from modified trucks to stock Volkswagens -- Dust to Glory takes viewers into the middle of the race, with camera crews following in the action while several drivers race with cameras mounted to their cars for a "you are there" perspective. Dust to Glory also puts a special focus on driver Mike "Mouse" McCoy, who hopes to achieve a unique distinction as one of the first drivers to drive the entire one-thousand-mile course by himself (most vehicles employ a team of drivers for the long and demanding race). Dust to Glory director Dana Brown is the son of Bruce Brown, director of such legendary sports films as The Endless Summer and On Any Sunday. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Second generation surfing documentarian Dana Brown (son to Bruce Brown, who directed The Endless Summer 2) strikes out with his own original piece of filmmaking with his 2003 ode to the world's surfing enthusiasts entitled Step Into Liquid. Part travelogue, and part attempt to redefine surfing's image, Brown travels to some of the ordinary surfing locales -- such as Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States -- as well as some rather unexpected ones, including the west coast of Wisconsin on Lake Michigan to Easter Island to a secular surfing school in Ireland. While in these diverse locations, Brown interviews the numerous souls whose lives have been taken over by the lure of surfing, ranging from seasoned professionals to casual hobbyists, in an attempt to dispel the myth of surfers being perpetually stoned slackers. Step Into Liquid was selected to screen at a handful of film festivals in 2003, including the Nodance Film Festival in Park City, UT. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Knost, Alex Knost, (more)
- 2001
Nominated for Best Documentary at the 1971 Academy Awards, On Any Sunday is perhaps the best-known film ever made about the sport of motorcross. Three decades later, the filmmakers revisted the film for this 2001 follow-up. On Any Sunday: Motocross, Malcolm & More features footage left on the cutting-room floor from the original film as well as new interviews with those involved in the making of the classic. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
In 1966, Bruce Brown released The Endless Summer, the first documentary on surfing that exposed the beauty and excitement of the sport to an audience outside of hard-core surf enthusiasts. The Endless Summer proved to be a pivotal film in the history of sports documentaries, and 34 years later, Bruce and his son Dana Brown combined previously unseen outtakes from The Endless Summer with new footage of some of surfing's greatest legends as they explore the power of their sport, as well as the impact of Brown's original film. Among those riding the waves and discussing how to avoid hodads are Robert August and Patrick O'Connell (two of the surfers featured in The Endless Summer), "Hobie" Alter, "Wingnut" Weaver, Steve Pezman, "Ironman" Doyle, and Nat Young. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
In 1971, Bruce Brown and his son Dana filmed a documentary featuring the rev and roar of the racetrack. The project was a success, earning the men an Academy award nomination. Twenty-eight years later, the two are back with another ode to speed, On Any Sunday Revisited. While the video features some of the same footage, most of it is entirely new. Brown includes memories from David Aldana, Chuck Palmgren, Sammy Tanner, Met Lawwill, Eddie Mulder, Skip Van Leeuwen, and Gary Nixon. The film explores the making of On Any Sunday with special concentration on star racer Steve McQueen. For fans of the first track epic, On Any Sunday Revisited is a great way to relive the fast-paced drama. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide
- 1994
- PG
- Add The Endless Summer 2 - The Journey Continues to QueueAdd The Endless Summer 2 - The Journey Continues to top of Queue
Surfin' round the world is the focus of this documentary by Bruce Brown, the director famed for publicizing the sport in the 1960s. The documentary focuses upon two world-class California surfers: Patrick O'Connell, short board expert, and Robert "Wingnut" Weaver, long board surfer. The film follows them as they travel to Costa Rica, Hawaii, France, South Africa, Australia, Fiji, Bali, Java and Alaska in search of the perfect wave. Also included are twenty minutes of acrobatic surfing using singles, pairs, trios, and dogs. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Steve Grayson (Elvis Presley) is a swinging racecar driver whose manager Kenny (Bill Bixby) has bet his money on the horses. Most of the horses didn't win, causing Steve to be visited by IRS agent Susan Jacks (Nancy Sinatra). Gale Gordon plays Hepworth, her stuffy supervisor, and William Shallert has the role of Abel Esterlake, former racecar driver who helps Steve on the track. Steve engages in the stock-car races at the Charlotte Speedway to get back the money to keep him and his manager out of jail. Presley delivers 11 songs, the most notable being "Let Yourself Go." Elvis by now was just playing out the innocuous string of movies that his musically insensitive, cigar-chomping manager Colonel Tom Parker had contracted for him. Soon Elvis would undertake the most successful live comeback by any performer in history and leave these trashy features behind. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra, (more)
